Aerodactyl

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
QC: 2/2 (lucariojr, Audiosurfer)
GP: 2/2 (fleurdyleurse, Alphose_Elric)
DONE!


<insert pterable pun here>

Overview
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Aerodactyl has always served a considerable role in all VGC formats thus far by being the fastest support Pokemon around. This has not changed in VGC 2014, as it continues to pull off its old Tailwind and Rock Slide shenanigans, though Aerodactyl has found new ways to support its team. Sky Drop is a tool that has been unbanned in VGC 2014 and is one of the best support moves around. Aerodactyl just happens to be one of the best users of the move. While it's not new, Wide Guard also received a buff to where it can be repeatedly used without fail which is fantastic, considering Aerodactyl itself is weak to Rock Slide. Its old moves have also become considerably more useful. Rock Slide now has two very dangerous targets that it can OHKO in Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y, so fast flinching potential is not the only thing Rock Slide can be used for. Lastly, Aerodactyl received a Mega Evolution in VGC 2014 that has much more bulk, power, and Speed than its base forme. Aerodactyl's old problem of being weak to common Electric-types still remains, even though Electric-types in the 2014 format are considerably different from 2012. Aerodactyl has subpar defenses in general, meaning it is heavily reliant on a Focus Sash or Aerodactylite. Talonflame and Noivern have also come along to challenge Aerodactyl's niche as a Tailwind user, although all three of them have other roles that keep them separate from each other. Overall, Aerodactyl is still a fantastic source of fast support and should never be underestimated when faced.

Speedy Support
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name: Speedy Support
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Tailwind / Wide Guard
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
ability: Unnerve / Pressure
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========

Rock Slide and Sky Drop are probably Aerodactyl's two best options for a support set. Aerodactyl's extremely high Speed stat means that Rock Slide will usually go before your opponents two Pokemon, making full use of Rock Slide's nasty flinch chance. Rock Slide also allows Aerodactyl to check Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and other weakened Pokemon that have a weakness to it. Sky Drop is an extremely irritating STAB move that gives Aerodactyl's partner a free one on one match up for a turn. Tailwind is one of the best Speed control moves in the game. Aerodactyl is a very reliable user of the move thanks to its already ridiculous Speed stat and its Focus Sash. The Speed increase Aerodactyl receives from Tailwind also makes Rock Slide flinch fishing more potent. Protect is to block the annoying Fake Out that is used often in VGC 2014 so that Aerodactyl's Focus Sash is not broken before it can even move. The ability to Protect Aerodactyl for a turn is also very useful in many situations. Wide Guard is a supportive move that keeps Aerodactyl and its teammate safe from spread moves like Rock Slide, Surf, Earthquake and Discharge. Taunt makes Pokemon like Smeargle and Amoonguss next to useless and stops Trick Room setters from ruining Aerodactyl's potential Tailwind. Ice Fang is a neat coverage move to punish Salamence and Garchomp leads while also bringing Noivern down to its Focus Sash. Note that Aerodactyl's Focus Sash will likely be broken if it hits a Garchomp with Ice Fang.

Set Details
========

The EVs are very straightforward in that they allow Aerodactyl to Speed tie with other Aerodactyl and Mega Gengar while also outspeeding everything below base 130 Speed, besides Choice Scarf users. The Attack investment is to make sure Aerodactyl will be hitting as hard as possible without a positive nature. Unnerve is a useful supporting ability that stops the consumption of common berries such as Sitrus and Lum Berry. However, Unnerve always goes first when announcing itself, so if you would rather scout for a Choice Scarf on Salamence or Gardevoir, then Pressure is preferred. A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe can be used if you wish to use your Focus Sash elsewhere on your team, but the Focus Sash variant is generally preferred.

Usage Tips
========

When against Fake Out users, the safest play on the first turn is to Protect Aerodactyl and its partner if either of them are carrying it. This ensures your Focus Sash will remain intact for the turn you use Tailwind, Sky Drop, or Rock Slide. Note that Aerodactyl is hardly ever dead weight due to its ability to flinch opponents with Rock Slide and the support Sky Drop provides. Knowing this, don't play Aerodactyl recklessly if you don't need to. Use Sky Drop to give Aerodactyl's partner a free turn with an opponent that cannot do too much to it. This is extremely useful for set up sweepers since it removes the threat of a double target for a turn. It should be noted that Aerodactyl cannot use Sky Drop on Pokemon weighing over 200 kg. Gyarados and Rhyperior are Pokemon that come to mind in this weight bracket, although Aerodactyl should not stay in on Rhyperior and use Rock Slide on Gyarados. Sky Drop can also end Aerodactyl since it cannot Protect itself when dropping the opponent, so use the move wisely. Tailwind should be used only when needed since it only lasts three turns after it is set up. With that said, Aerodactyl should be saved until it is needed to set up Tailwind as the move allows many slower attackers to easily get the upper hand on their otherwise faster checks. If Aerodactyl is up against Trick Room without Taunt, it is generally in your best interest to leave Aerodactyl behind for the match due to Aerodactyl's naturally high Speed and Trick Room making Tailwind a monstrous backfire if used. If you do have Taunt though, feel free to Taunt any Trick Room setter that isn't an Aromatisse, as long as there are no Fake Out users along side the Trick Room user.

Team Options
========

Any slow attacker is a good partner for Aerodactyl due to its ability to use Tailwind, put an opponent out of play for a turn, and occasionally allow its partner to live another turn with a Rock Slide flinch. Bisharp and Kangaskhan are two perfect examples of beneficiaries from Aerodactyl's support abilities. Bisharp not only benefits greatly from the Tailwind Aerodactyl provides, but Assurance also turns into a 120 Base Power STAB move when an opponent is hit by Aerodactyl's Rock Slide first. Mega Kangaskhan isn't exactly slow, but it still greatly benefits from Tailwind, while it also enjoys the turn to Power-Up Punch while not fearing a double target due to Sky Drop. Sky Drop can give Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Gyarados, Mega Gyarados, Dragon Dance Scrafty, and Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar a much needed opportunity to set up. If EVed correctly, these Pokemon can KO their respective checks after setting up the same turn as Aerodactyl drops said check. Beneficiaries from Wide Guard include Mega Charizard Y and Aegislash as both of them are commonly targeted by spread moves. Both of them greatly appreciate Tailwind support.

Mega Aerodactyl
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name: Mega Aerodactyl
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Roost
move 4: Protect
ability: Pressure
item: Aerodactylite
evs: 220 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SpD / 228 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========

Mega Aerodactyl is the fastest unboosted user of Rock Slide in VGC 2014, which means just about anything your opponent can have will risk getting flinched if Mega Aerodactyl uses Rock Slide. Because Rock Slide also receives a boost from STAB and Mega Aerodactyl's base 135 Attack stat, the damage output is not bad at all, even with minimal Attack investment. STAB Rock Slide also makes Mega Aerodactyl Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y's biggest threat as it resists Gale Wings Brave Bird from Talonflame, outpaces both of them, and OHKOes both of them with a single hit, not to mention their partner will likely flinch. Mega Aerodactyl's Speed and Tough Claws-boosted Sky Drop make it a terror to face when paired with a set up sweeper or a powerful Pokemon that needs an opponent put out of play for a turn. Also, it eases prediction when targeting the Pokemon that Mega Aerodactyl has picked up since it cannot Protect on the turn it falls. Similarly, Mega Aerodactyl cannot use Protect when using Sky Drop on the opponent either and, unlike its support set, does not have a Focus Sash to save it from a potential KO on its way down. So, use Sky Drop conservatively. Roost is used to increase Mega Aerodactyl's longevity so it can keep flinch fishing with Rock Slide or supporting its teammates with Sky Drop. Roost makes Mega Aerodactyl a much larger pain to face in general. Protect is to give Mega Aerodactyl's partner a turn to KO or cripple Mega Aerodactyl's check or counter as well as being usefun in many situations. Taunt can be used to help Mega Aerodactyl against Smeargle and Amoonguss, and make them useless. Tailwind is an fantastic Speed control move that a good amount of teams are based around. Wide Guard can save many of Mega Aerodactyl's teammates from the multitude of spread moves that are used.

Set Details
========
The EVs are rather specific in that they allow Mega Aerodactyl to sponge a Choice Specs Thunderbolt from Rotom-A formes while in Sandstorm. It is also able to survive a critical hit Stone Edge from a Salamence with a hindering Attack nature. The Speed investment is used to outrun Talonflame before Mega Evolving and to outrun base 80 Speed Pokemon with a Choice Scarf, namely Rotom-A and Gardevoir, after. Unnerve has elevated priority when announcing itself, so Pressure is used instead to scout for Choice Scarf Gardevoir and Salamence before Aerodactyl Mega Evolves. Unnerve is also useless since it will become Tough Claws after Aerodactyl Mega Evolves anyways.

Usage Tips
========

Mega Aerodactyl has potential staying power, so make use of this staying power by using Roost and Protect at the correct times. Make sure that Mega Aerodactyl is in a Sandstorm when it is out as the Special Defense boost from Sandstorm is extremely noticeable and can save Mega Aerodactyl a lot of the time. When using Sky Drop, be sure to have planned out how you are going to keep Mega Aerodactyl safe when it drops the opponent since it predictably cannot use Protect this turn. Similarly, use the turn that an opponent is dropped to your advantage since the opponent cannot use Protect that turn either, leaving them open to a potential KO. This can also save Mega Aerodactyl if the opponent in question had the ability to KO it. Burns take a good chunk out of Mega Aerodactyl's survivability, especially when using Sky Drop, while also weakening it its two attacking moves. Keeping burns away from Mega Aerodactyl is pretty important, especially in a format full of Will-O-Wisp users. When Mega Aerodactyl has done its job and is left with nothing to do, it can always fish for Rock Slide flinches.

Team Options
========

Sand Stream is always needed when using Mega Aerodactyl in order to ensure that it gets the most out of its bulk investment. This makes Hippowdon and Tyranitar very good partners despite the weaknesses they share with Mega Aerodactyl. However, Amoonguss and Ferrothorn can help cover these weaknesses while also dealing with Mega Aerodactyl's most common counter: Rotom-W. Pokemon that require set up and powerful attackers enjoy Mega Aerodactyl's consistent Sky Drop support and the occasional flinch from Rock Slide. Hydreigon, Aegislash, Gyarados, Scrafty, Bisharp and many more fall under this category.

Other Options
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Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest STAB Rock-type move but its poor accuracy and Rock Slide's flinch chance and spread effect make Stone Edge a rather poor option in comparison. Iron Head can be used on Mega Aerodactyl to KO Choice Scarf Gardevoir but Mega Aerodactyl does not have the moveslot for a coverage move like this. Smack Down is an interesting STAB option for any Aerodactyl that can be used on a team based around Earthquake, but Rock Slide is preferred on most team builds. Rock Tomb is a spread STAB move with a guaranteed Speed lowering effect and can be used for Speed control. It is weak when compared to Rock Slide, though, and Aerodactyl already has a much more reliable Speed control method with Tailwind. Fire Fang is a usable Fire-type move to hit Mawile and Aegislash. Be careful when using it against Ferrothorn because Aerodactyl will break its Focus Sash on Iron Barbs and could be KOed in the same turn if Ferrothorn uses Gyro Ball. Fire Blast is also an option because of this. With good Special Attack IVs and a Special Attack hindering nature, Fire Blast does slightly more damage than Fire Fang will depending on the Pokemon targeted. It will also save Aerodactyl's Focus Sash should it attack Ferrothorn, allowing it to live the possible incoming Gyro Ball after. Both Fire-type moves are very difficult to fit on a set since there is hardly any room for coverage moves like them on either Aerodactyl set.

Checks & Counters
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**Electric-types**: Mega Manectric can outrun Aerodactyl and either bring it down to its Focus Sash or KO it, should it have taken prior damage. Mega Aerodactyl can outspeed Mega Manectric and can use Sky Drop on it to stall a turn although it will get hit hard by Manectric on its way down. Mega Manectric also Intimidates Aerodactyl, making Rock Slide and Sky Drop less powerful. All formes of bulky Rotom-A can all take a hit from Aerodactyl and either bring it down to its Focus Sash to set up a KO, or cripple Mega Aerodactyl with Will-O-Wisp. However, Rotom-H and Rotom-S lose if they flinch from Rock Slide. Choice Scarf Rotom-A variants don't need to worry about Rock Slide's flinch chance from Aerodactyl as they can outspeed it and they will still bring it down to its Focus Sash or KO it.

**Steel-types**: Mawile not only Intimidates Aerodactyl but it can also KO it or bring it down to its Focus Sash after it Mega Evolves with Iron Head. It can also bypass Rock Slide's flinch chance with Sucker Punch. Mega Mawile can easily set up a Substitute or Swords Dance on any Aerodactyl lacking Taunt or the rare Fire-type attack. Aegislash can easily set up a Substitute in front of any Aerodactyl lacking Taunt and can KO it or bring it down to its Focus Sash with Flash Cannon. Aerodactyl's rare Fire-type attacks do next to nothing to an Aegislash in Shield Forme. Ferrothorn can KO Aerodactyl much like the other two.

**Swift Swim Users**: Every single user of Swift Swim can KO Aerodactyl with their STAB attacks while outrunning it under rain.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine ignores Aerodactyl's Focus Sash by KOing it with Icicle Spear. It can also bypass Rock Slide's flinch chance with Ice Shard.

**Sableye**: Sableye bypasses Rock Slide's flinch chance with its ability Prankster, giving +1 priority to all of its non-attacking moves. It can shut down Aerodactyl's ability to use Protect and Tailwind with priority Taunt and burn Aerodactyl with Will-O-Wisp.

**Rhyperior**: Rhyperior can KO Aerodactyl regardless of its Focus Sash with Rock Blast. It is immune to Sky Drop and its high Defense coupled with its resistance to Rock Slide means Aerodactyl can do little to it. It is also a common user of Wide Guard which can block Rock Slide entirely.

**Gyarados**: Gyarados can Thunder Wave both Aerodactyl and its partner, making Tailwind effectively useless and almost ensure Aerodactyl can never set it up again. It Intimidates Aerodactyl and also KOes or brings it down to its Focus Sash with Waterfall. Gyarados does have a weakness to Rock Slide though, so it will lose if it flinches too many times.
Overview
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  • Fast Rock Slider to check Talonflame and Charizard
  • Has amazing support moves like Sky Drop, Wide Guard and Tailwind
  • Can actually be relatively bulky with its Mega Evolution and the fact that it resists Normal moves
  • Poor defensive stats in its normal form and vulnerable to popular Electric-types, but mitigated by Focus Sash and its immunity to Sandstorm damage
  • Not particularly strong either with its most powerful attack being the unreliable Stone Edge
  • Faces competition from Talonflame in setting up Tailwind, though Brave Bird and Rock Slide hit two different sets of Pokemon
  • Overall, great source of speedy support

Speedy Support
########
name: Speedy Support
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Tailwind / Wide Guard
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
ability: Unnerve / Pressure
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
nature: Jolly



Moves
========
  • Having a very fast STAB Rock Slide is one of the things that makes Aero so good
  • Sky Drop is a very disruptive STAB move that will keep one of Aero's opponents out of play for a turn and open the lifted opponent up for attacking on the second turn
  • Tailwind is one of the best Speed control moves in the game
  • Protect is to block Fake Out in order to keep your Sash early on and to scout / keep Aero safe for a turn (unless Feint happens)
  • Wide Guard protects Aero and its teammate from Rock Slide and other spread moves and can now be spammed this generation
  • Taunt is useful to shut down Smeargle, Trick Room setters, and other strategies reliant on non-attacking moves
  • Ice Fang hits the ever so common Garchomp and can be used against Salamence and Noivern if your Sash is intact. It is really another support move since Ice Fang brings the the bane of Kanga and Bisharp (Aero's 2 most common partners), Garchomp, down to the point where Chomp is manageable

Set Details
========
  • Max Speed and Max Attack takes full advantage of Aerodactyl's Focus Sash by making Aero hit as hard and fast as possible and also being able to check Charizard Y through Intimidate
  • A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe Jolly can be run in order to give Aero a bit more staying power while still picking up key 2HKOes
  • Unnerve is another support measure to screw with berries that would otherwise save some pokemon from the wrath of Aero's partner
  • Pressure is used to scout for Choice Scarfs since Unnerve has a wierd priority to it

Usage Tips
========
  • Use your coverage / secondary STAB move when necessary and make sure to use Sky Drop to its fullest disruptive potential,
  • Rock Slide fishing gives Aero something to do when it isn't using Sky Drop or Tailwind
  • Set up Tailwind when needed
  • Sky Drop can also be Aero's downfall because it cannot defend itself on the way down and will more than likely be faster than its opposition
  • Taunt Trick Room setters to make sure Tailwind doesn't backfire
  • Using Ice Fang on Garchomp (or even this or Sky Drop on Rocky Helmet Amoongus even) will break your sash keep in mind
  • a relatively easy Pokemon to use overall

Team Options
========
  • Anything offensive will benefit from Tailwind
  • Dragon Dance Mega Charizard X and base / Mega Gyarados both benefit greatly from Sky Drop giving them a free DD by removing there "check" at neutral for a turn. Charizard should run 92 Speed EVS and Gyarados should run 248 in order to out slow Aero after a DD when it drops the opponent.
  • Bisharp benefits greatly from Tailwind and Assurance is boosted by Aero's fast Rock Slide
  • Pokemon that have good 1 on 1 match ups vs a lot of the format (Garchomp, Aegislash, ect) love having Sky Drop support around
  • Ground-types such as Garchomp, Mamoswine, and Hippowdon to switch into an opponent's Rock Slide or Electric-type move are nice to have around but the latter two share a Water weakness with Aero. Hippo also increases Aero's SpD with Sand Stream and is a very good Megadactyl supporter in general
  • Ferrothorn covers all of Aerodactyl's weaknesses but Manectric, the Mega, and Rotom-Heat can break through both
  • Forms nice cores with slower physical attackers, especially Bisharp due to Aero's fast Rock Slide powering up Assurance
  • Rotom-Wash takes on both Rotom-Heat and Mega Manectric for Aero

Mega Aerodactyl
########
name: Mega Aerodactyl
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Roost
move 4: Protect
ability: Pressure
item: Aerodactylite
evs: 220 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SDef / 228 Spd
nature: Jolly


Moves
========
  • The fastest, non-scarf, Rock Slide in the format is very hard to pass up. Especially when it gets STAB
  • Sky Drop is extremely disruptive and also gets a Tough Claws boost
  • Protect is Protect and should never be completely overlooked even if it is just for scouting or stalling a turn.
  • Roost is to keep Aero healthy so it can continue using Sky Drop and flinching with Rock Slide. Makes it a much bigger pain to face
  • Ice Fang gets a Tough Claws boost which makes it an even more effective Dragon slaying tool. Rock-, Ground-, and Ice-type coverage is near unbeatable anyways
  • Tailwind is one of the best Speed control moves in the game and should be considered no matter what Aerodactyl you run
  • Taunt can shut down heavy supporters, but it is better used on the support Aerodactyl
  • Wide Guard can save both Aerodactyl and its teammate from Rock Slide fishing or from spread moves in general. It was also buffed in XY to be spammable

Set Details
========
  • The EVs allow Aero to survive a Choice Specs T-Bolt in sandstorm from Rotom-A and a crit Stone Edge from hindering nature uninvested Salamence
  • the Speed investment allows you to outpace max Speed Talonflame before mega evolving and any Base 80 Speed Scarfer after; namely Scarfdevior and Scarf Rotom-A variants
  • Pressure allows you to scout for Scarfs since Unnerve has priority for some reason

Usage Tips
========
  • This variant of Aerodactyl is playing the game of KO or be KOed a lot more than its supportive twin
  • Keeping burns away from this particular Aerodactyl is a lot more important, otherwise your offensive investment is wasted
  • Fishing for flinches with Rock Slide is always a way to play any Aero
  • Sky Drop is a move that can frustrate opponents to no end and is almost unrivaled in its ability to create set up / safe KO opportunities for Aero's partner
  • Sky Drop can also lead to aero's downfall since Aero cannot protect when coming down

Team Options
========
  • Hippo or Tyranitar are almost musts when using Megadactyle to make the EVs worth while (the added sand bonus is very noticeable)
  • Safeguard users are a fail safe vs users of Will-O-Wisp that aren't named Rotom
  • Ferrothorn and Amoongus help a large amount vs one of Mega Aerodactyl's biggest enemies in Rotom-W
  • Attack redirection from Amoongus and Follow Me users is always helpful do to Mega Aerodactyl's lack of Focus Sash
  • Anything that enjoys Sky Drop support is a good teammate



Other Options
########
  • Stone Edge
  • Iron Head
  • Smack Down
  • Rock Tomb
  • Fire Fang
  • Fire Blast



Checks & Counters
########
  • Electric-types: Manectric + the Mega and the Rotom formes can all KO Aero with their STABs; Mega Manectric also weakens Aero with Intimidate
  • Steel-types: Mawile and Aegislash take nothing from an Aerodactyl without a fire move or Earthquake and can KO it with Flash Cannon or Iron Head respectively. Aegislash can set up a Substitute on an Aerodactyl without Taunt quite easily
  • Swift Swim abusers in rain: all of them outspeed and can KO with their Water STABs after breaking Aero's sash
  • Mamoswine: Ignores Focus Sash by KOing Aerodactyl with Icicle Spear or will finnish it off with the priority Ice Shard
  • Sableye: Priority Taunt shuts Aero's Tailwind down
  • Rhyperior: It can ignore Aero's Focus Sash with Rock Blast or finnish it off with Rock Slide or Stone Edge. Aero can do nothing to it
  • Gyarados: is weak to Rock Slide, but Thunder Wave and Waterfall along with a teammate hit will bring Aero down. Is immune to Sky Drop
 
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Happy Windsday (Tailwind Support)
########
name: Tailwind Support
move 1: Tailwind
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Protect
move 4: Ice Fang / Sky Drop / Taunt
ability: Unnerve
item: Focus Sash
evs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe
nature: Jolly


There is no reason whatsoever to 252 Adamant when with all of the important 2HKOs with just 44 and a neutral nature, you also lose out on a lot of Speed which. With the Speed I list you can outspeed max speed Greninja and set up Tailwind.
-1 252+ Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 112-136 (65.8 - 80%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 44 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 88-104 (51.7 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 300-352 (194.8 - 228.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
44 Atk Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 232-276 (150.6 - 179.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 148-176 (80.4 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
44 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 112-136 (60.8 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Mega Aerodactyl should also get a set.
 

Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
You mention the mega evolution in the overview, but I see no mention of it anywhere else on the analysis. I suggest adding a mega set:

Mega Aerodactyl
########
name: Mega Aerodactyl
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Sky Drop / Ice Fang / Taunt
move 4: Tailwind / Protect / Wide Guard
ability: Unnerve
item: Aerodactylite
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Adamant

This thing is too fast post-mega evolution to pass up Adamant as only scarfers and Talonflame (Brave Bird) are going to be outpacing it. Rock Slide is for a powerful spread STAB move with 44% chance to flinch SOMETHING on the opponent's side. Earthquake provides SlideQuake coverage, hitting Steel- types hard. The third slot is to deal with what your team needs to have dealt with: Sky Drop is a powerful, disruptive STAB move (much better than Fly and Aerial Ace - in doubles at least), hitting Venusaur and Amoonguss hard, wheras Ice Fang is a useful coverage move for hitting Garchomp and Salamence, but it is fairly weak, even after the boost from Tough Claws, which is why it is slashed second. Neither of these moves are manditory, meaning that Taunt is also very useful in that moveslot (although the main reason it isn't in the fourth is to minimize the number of slashes in that moveslot, as three is pleanty enough). The last slot once again depends on what your team needs/personal preference. Tailwind provides the support that Tailwind provides, Protect is useful for scouting, making Aerodactyl very disruptive - especially when used in conjunction with Sky Drop - and Wide Guard protects your side from Rock Slides, making it a powerful teammate for things like Charizard and Chandelure for its ability to block Rock Slides and Earthquakes.

Leave Ice Fang for moves on the support set. It is too weak without the boost from Tough Claws to be worth it. Slash Wide Guard in its place.

REMEMBER: Set nicknames are a no-no in analyses at the moment Remove "Happy Windsday" from the tab.
 
I don't want to argue, but Ice Fang is ridiculously useful to check Dragon-types, like Garchomp and Salamence on the utility set. It should definitely keep Ice Fang as its first slash.
 

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
[...]
evs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe
nature: Jolly


There is no reason whatsoever to 252 Adamant when with all of the important 2HKOs with just 44 and a neutral nature, you also lose out on a lot of Speed which. With the Speed I list you can outspeed max speed Greninja and set up Tailwind.[...]
Welp, looks like I need to breed a Jolly Aerodactyl
In all seriousness though, I personally used Adamant just because Adamant max Attack actually has an 82% chance to 2HKO 252 / 180 Amoongus with Sky Drop. Then again, KOing Amoongus shouldn't be the goal of this set so I have gladly changed it to your much more optimal one.
[...]Mega Aerodactyl should also get a set.
I was trying to justify giving Mega Aero a set beyond Set Details mentions but the spreads and moves were so similar it didn't seem worth it since the only thing that was different was the way they played. With your new spread being the main on the support set, I have gladly made the Mega set separate since there is now enough seeable difference to justify it.

You mention the mega evolution in the overview, but I see no mention of it anywhere else on the analysis.[...]<Mega Set>
WreckDra said:
Set Details
========
  • 252 HP is to fill out Aerodactyl's overall bulk although Focus Sash means you will live any one attack
  • 44 Attack EVs ensure a 2HKO on Salamence with Ice Fang after the Intimidate drop and all other KOs that Aero needs
  • 212 Speed Jolly outspeeds max Speed Greninja
  • Aerodactylite can be used over Focus Sash since Megadactyl's bulk is better and it will hit both faster and harder with Ice Fang and Sky Drop also being boosted by Tough Claws. It is recommended that these two moves are used on a set with Aerodactylite. Focus Sash's reliability is generally better though.
I did mention the mega set in Set Details but like I said to Chenkovsky, I had issues justifying a separate Mega set that had the same moves and spread and the only difference was the way they are supposed to be played. Now that Chenkovsky has an alternate spread for the Support variant, I can easily justify it and have added the Mega as a separate set.
gamer boy said:
[...]Leave Ice Fang for moves on the support set. It is too weak without the boost from Tough Claws to be worth it. Slash Wide Guard in its place.[...]
What Chenkovski said
[...]REMEMBER: Set nicknames are a no-no in analyses at the moment Remove "Happy Windsday" from the tab.
the OU and Ubers C&C say Hi :]
I changed it :P

Edit: I'm wondering if the nerf to Sky Drop should be mentioned since it no longer is able to pick up 200kg< targets. There aren't many relevant ones, but there may be one that is slipping my mind that is relatively important
 
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Martin

A monoid in the category of endofunctors
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Community Contributor Alumnusis a Contributor Alumnus
Ice Fang is too weak without tough claws. Remove it from the support set.
 

Inspirited

There is usually higher ground.
is a Contributor Alumnus
Ice Fang is too weak without tough claws. Remove it from the support set.
It may be weak, but it is Aero's only 260 BP move vs the ever so common Garchomp and Salamence. Getting rid of either of these two early or discouraging them from staying in is big since Garchomp is a cornerstone member of a lot of cores and Salamence is extremely dangerous early game with how strong Draco Meteor is. Garchomp will have a field day against Aero + Kang / Bisharp lead match ups otherwise.

Edit: thank you for clarifying Chenkovski

Also, I think this is now ready for QC evaluation.
 
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Happy Windsday (Tailwind Support)
########
name: Tailwind Support
move 1: Tailwind
move 2: Rock Slide
move 3: Protect
move 4: Ice Fang / Sky Drop / Taunt
ability: Unnerve
item: Focus Sash
evs: 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe
nature: Jolly


There is no reason whatsoever to 252 Adamant when with all of the important 2HKOs with just 44 and a neutral nature, you also lose out on a lot of Speed which. With the Speed I list you can outspeed max speed Greninja and set up Tailwind.
-1 252+ Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 112-136 (65.8 - 80%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
-1 44 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 88-104 (51.7 - 61.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252+ Atk Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 300-352 (194.8 - 228.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO
44 Atk Aerodactyl Rock Slide vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Mega Charizard Y: 232-276 (150.6 - 179.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO

252+ Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 148-176 (80.4 - 95.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
44 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 112-136 (60.8 - 73.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO


Mega Aerodactyl should also get a set.
I feel like you're trying to unnecessarily complicate things with that spread - no matter how much bulk you put in Aerodactyl is still going to be frail, and you're missing out on an opportunity to have any offensive prescence whatsoever. I mean, that spread fails to net a guaranteed OHKO on bulky Charizards that are designed to take Talonflame's CB BB, which is just unacceptable. I've tried some HP investment and they've all been vastly inferior because Aerodactyl can't do anything but hope for Rock Slide flinches, and it's still quite frail. Lastly, if you're going to drop down the speed for Greninja (also a bad idea, because you lose speed ties), you might as well outrun Noivern also. Don't do that though; it's boring, but 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd is by far the best spread I've found with Aerodactyl.

I haven't found much use for Ice Fang, because Salamence can easily shrug it off after Intimidate and you lose your Sash if you attack Garchomp. I mean, it doesn't even OHKO Garchomp, which really raises the question as to why you're passing up something more useful when there are plenty of viable Dragon checks in the game, and they aren't particularly difficult to fit into your team. Taunt is a fantastic move on Aerodactyl, so I'd put that in the first slash, then Wide Guard / Sky Drop if your team needs that support. Ice Fang might as well go to OO on Aero's support set because its uses are really limited.

Also, has anyone ever used Pressure? Unnerve isn't particularly useful IMO, as once Aerodactyl has set up Tailwind for the mid game, it doesn't have much reason to stick around, and not to mention it doesn't have a good matchup against Berry holders like Rotom and Azumarill. Pressure allows you to scout for Salamence's item in lead situations, which has had more uses to me than potentially delaying Berry activation.
 

Martin

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I haven't found much use for Ice Fang, because Salamence can easily shrug it off after Intimidate and you lose your Sash if you attack Garchomp. I mean, it doesn't even OHKO Garchomp, which really raises the question as to why you're passing up something more useful when there are plenty of viable Dragon checks in the game, and they aren't particularly difficult to fit into your team. Taunt is a fantastic move on Aerodactyl, so I'd put that in the first slash, then Wide Guard / Sky Drop if your team needs that support. Ice Fang might as well go to OO on Aero's support set because its uses are really limited.
WreckDra That was exactly what I meant by "too weak". If it doesn't OHKO Garchomp (252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 136-164 (73.9 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) or Intimidate Salamence (-1 252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 104-124 (61.1 - 72.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO), and it isn't even guaranteed if you come in after Intimidate's effects (252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 156-184 (91.7 - 108.2%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO). This is effectively the definition of a wasted moveslot. There is no use for running Ice Fang when there are so many better pokemon for dealing with dragons, like Aromatisse and Mamoswine.

I feel like you're trying to unnecessarily complicate things with that spread - no matter how much bulk you put in Aerodactyl is still going to be frail, and you're missing out on an opportunity to have any offensive prescence whatsoever. I mean, that spread fails to net a guaranteed OHKO on bulky Charizards that are designed to take Talonflame's CB BB, which is just unacceptable. I've tried some HP investment and they've all been vastly inferior because Aerodactyl can't do anything but hope for Rock Slide flinches, and it's still quite frail. Lastly, if you're going to drop down the speed for Greninja (also a bad idea, because you lose speed ties), you might as well outrun Noivern also. Don't do that though; it's boring, but 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd is by far the best spread I've found with Aerodactyl.
The reasoning behind the spread is so as not to waste any EVs unnecessarily, and Aerodactyl doesn't need full speed to function. However, I do agree that tying with opposing Aerodactyl is probably the best way to go here. I'd put Chenkovsky's spread in set details.
Also, has anyone ever used Pressure? Unnerve isn't particularly useful IMO, as once Aerodactyl has set up Tailwind for the mid game, it doesn't have much reason to stick around, and not to mention it doesn't have a good matchup against Berry holders like Rotom and Azumarill. Pressure allows you to scout for Salamence's item in lead situations, which has had more uses to me than potentially delaying Berry activation.
Pressure is outclassed by Unnerve due to the increased popularity of berries in this Gemless (well, except a nerfed Normal Gem) metagame. Also, Aerodactyl is too frail to really use Pressure to a full extent, not to mention PP stalling is a useless endeavour in such a fast-paced metagame. Also, the two pokemon that you listed and Scizor are pretty much the only berry users that Aerodactyl loses to tbh. The ability to burn/sleep/paralyze etc. pokemon through Lum Berrys is huge, and it makes Aerodactyl work well alongside pokemon good at spreading status, like Rotom-W, as it turns that previously negative situation into a positive one. This means that Scizor will have turns where it is forced into the attack drop and, with the correct prediction, the statused pokemon can then be beaten with ease, and Aerodactyl has fulfilled its role. Rotom-W wasn't the best example of a status spreader as it lacks prioroty to deal with Scizor once it is weakened, but you get the picture. Rock Head is worse than Pressure, but Unnerve is certainly better than Pressure by a LONG way.
 
WreckDra That was exactly what I meant by "too weak". If it doesn't OHKO Garchomp (252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 4 HP / 0 Def Garchomp: 136-164 (73.9 - 89.1%) -- guaranteed 2HKO) or Intimidate Salamence (-1 252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 104-124 (61.1 - 72.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO), and it isn't even guaranteed if you come in after Intimidate's effects (252 Atk Aerodactyl Ice Fang vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Salamence: 156-184 (91.7 - 108.2%) -- 43.8% chance to OHKO). This is effectively the definition of a wasted moveslot. There is no use for running Ice Fang when there are so many better pokemon for dealing with dragons, like Aromatisse and Mamoswine.


The reasoning behind the spread is so as not to waste any EVs unnecessarily, and Aerodactyl doesn't need full speed to function. However, I do agree that tying with opposing Aerodactyl is probably the best way to go here. I'd put Chenkovsky's spread in set details.

Pressure is outclassed by Unnerve due to the increased popularity of berries in this Gemless (well, except a nerfed Normal Gem) metagame. Also, Aerodactyl is too frail to really use Pressure to a full extent, not to mention PP stalling is a useless endeavour in such a fast-paced metagame. Also, the two pokemon that you listed and Scizor are pretty much the only berry users that Aerodactyl loses to tbh. The ability to burn/sleep/paralyze etc. pokemon through Lum Berrys is huge, and it makes Aerodactyl work well alongside pokemon good at spreading status, like Rotom-W, as it turns that previously negative situation into a positive one. This means that Scizor will have turns where it is forced into the attack drop and, with the correct prediction, the statused pokemon can then be beaten with ease, and Aerodactyl has fulfilled its role. Rotom-W wasn't the best example of a status spreader as it lacks prioroty to deal with Scizor once it is weakened, but you get the picture. Rock Head is worse than Pressure, but Unnerve is certainly better than Pressure by a LONG way.
PP stalling isn't the point of Pressure lol, read my post. Unnerve isn't a very good ability (compared to everything else, not necessarily to what Aero has), as it requires Aerodactyl to stay in on a Berry user and actually be able to make something out of delaying a Berry's consumption, which it can't do given the mon's limited offensive potential. Unless of course you pair it with something that threatens Rotom/etc, which isn't an optimal set up a lot of the time given what Aerodactyl's role is supposed to be, so Unnerve's intended use is often just an afterthought because you can't actually put it to good use very well.
 

Martin

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PP stalling isn't the point of Pressure <---(1) lol, read my post. Unnerve isn't a very good ability (compared to everything else, not necessarily to what Aero has), as it requires Aerodactyl to stay in on a Berry user and actually be able to make something out of delaying a Berry's consumption, which it can't do given the mon's limited offensive potential. <---(2) Unless of course you pair it with something that threatens Rotom/etc, which isn't an optimal set up a lot of the time given what Aerodactyl's role is supposed to be, so Unnerve's intended use is often just an afterthought because you can't actually put it to good use very well.
(1) Uh, isn't that the point of doubling the rate at which PP goes down?
(2) Ok. Maybe I was a little hasty at that point, but I was rushing to think of ideas as I had to get out of the house ASAP, so I wasn't thinking straight. Unnerve is in no way a bad ability due to the abundance of berries and, while Aerodactyl would definitely prefer another ability, it is the best one that it has for doubles. I think a better way of putting what I said yesterday would be this: if you can even delay a berry's use, using my Scizor burn example (halving the damage), isn't that better than having it activate straight away and him dealing heavy damage to other stuff (and you getting residual damage by protecting Aero for a turn)? Also, if you are a half decent player, you will be able to calculate weather it is Band or Lum it in your head as either a) they will set up, b) you can probably tell if that is CB damage if you are a half decent player, c) you will see Life Orb recoil or d) it will mega evolve, making Unnerve's lack of scouting ability a pointless arguement. Another time when Unnerve is useful is when you are up against something that may carry a Sitrus Berry, such as Rotom. Often, the Sitrus Berry's healing is enough to let it tank another hit. However, Unnerve will often be enough to let you KO them that turn with, say, Mega Venusaur's Giga Drain (116 SpA Mega Venusaur Giga Drain vs. 252 HP / 148+ SpD Rotom-W: 158-188 (51.9 - 61.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO - R Inanimate's Megasaur spread). Add in the sitrus healing and you can't 2HKO as it is going to heal 25% of its max HP (61.8-25=36.8). This is just an example, and before you say that Rotom KOs Aero, don't forget about that sash and that protect button on the Aerodactyl user's screen (or you could switch out, but that would be complicating this). You didn't say this fourth point that I am about to say, but I'll say it anyway. They both show up upon switch in, so that doesn't make any difference. I think that a delay is probably better than none at all tbh. Also, don't forget this point that I said:
gamer boy said:
Pressure is outclassed by Unnerve due to the increased popularity of berries in this Gemless (well, except for a nerfed Normal Gem) metagame.
I've reached a point where I'm repeating myself now, so I will stop.
 
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Lol ugh. Read my post. And yes, it does make a difference. Unnerve behaves strangely, in that it has priority activation. It will always activate before other abilities regardless of speed, so it will always appear as if Salamence isn't Scarfed eve when it is.

Unnerve isn't really a bad ability, Aerodactyl just can't do anything with it. You're getting into convoluted situations now where Aerodactyl *has* to be paired with something that threatens Berry users, and it's only there for Unnerve and is otherwise useless. Taking down Rotom-W without it consuming Sitrus is a pointless gimmick. I mean, why would you have Aerodactyl + Venusaur for Rotom when you could have something else that deals with Rotom's partner and Rotom itself?
 

Martin

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Lol ugh. Read my post. And yes, it does make a difference. Unnerve behaves strangely, in that it has priority activation. It will always activate before other abilities regardless of speed, so it will always appear as if Salamence isn't Scarfed eve when it is.

Unnerve isn't really a bad ability, Aerodactyl just can't do anything with it. You're getting into convoluted situations now where Aerodactyl *has* to be paired with something that threatens Berry users, and it's only there for Unnerve and is otherwise useless. Taking down Rotom-W without it consuming Sitrus is a pointless gimmick. I mean, why would you have Aerodactyl + Venusaur for Rotom when you could have something else that deals with Rotom's partner and Rotom itself?
I was just saying that it can work like that, but it doesn't necessarily need to. The main issue I have with pressure is that it doesn't have any use on Aero. Unnerve at least has a niche in that it can delay their use, which is better than not delaying them at all. It also gives the possibility of making them not use their berry in situations where it can take them down, say against Charti Berry Talonflame (5th most used item) and Coba Berry Amoonguss (3rd most common item), for example. Hell, Unnerve is the only reason why Ice Fang even deserves a moves mention for hitting YacheChomp through its berry, albeit still not for an OHKO without a little prior damage, but you get the picture. In the subject of a little prior damage, you have a teammate which can do that for you, increasing its use (I am starting to see a little use for Ice Fang now). Also, reading your point about scouting for Scarfmence, I can't find anything online saying that Unnerve has increased prioroty: I can only find stuff that says it shows its active at the beginning of the turn. Give me a source on this info, and only then will I believe you. ATM, I can't find any use for Pressure over Unnerve.

Not got anything to do with its technical viability, but there is probably a reason why Unnerve is used almost doubly as much as Pressure
Pokémon Global Link Usage Statistics said:
1 Unnerve 56.3%
2 Pressure 36.5%
I said almost!
 
Come on now dude, have you actually tested it or are you just theorymoning?

For one, Charti Talonflame is really, really obscure, and it's not like that item is going to help Talonflame any against Aerodactyl . How exactly is hitting through Charti helpful? If Talonflame is paired with Rotom and Aero's Sash is broken? Talk about being horribly situational lol. Talonflame itself has plummeted in usage, which leads to Coba Berry anything also being really rare. Two, Yache Chomp also isn't a thing (or at least, barely is). Just about all Chomps now are Rocky Helmet or Lum. And third, in order to really make use of Unnerve the way you're putting it, Aerodactyl would need to pass up valuable moves like Taunt and Wide Guard to fit Ice Fang or Sky Drop.

As far as Unnerve's priority goes, there's this: http://nuggetbridge.com/forums/topic/4729-ability-activation/

Also test it for yourself on cartridge if you don't believe it.

Lastly, don't bring up usage stats as a point for your argument. That's as fallacious as it gets.
 
bwebber gamer boy

Neither of you are going to convince the other, or anyone for that matter, of your point of view, your arguing achieves nothing. The ultimate decision should come down to QC, which last time I checked neither of you are. Just stop now, before either you come across even more ignorant.
 

Inspirited

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The reason I have Ice Fang as first slash on the support set is because it is more of a support move than anything. Aero's two most common partners in Bisharp and Mega Mom both have severe issues with Garchomp, so being able to do a large amount to it and bringing it to the point where Sucker Punch from Sharp or a single hit Return from an unboosted Kanga can finish it is probably one of the more useful utilities the Aero has. I use a variant of Aerosharp (with Kanga) quite a bit and Ice Fang is mandatory in order to support these two teammates just because of how well Chomp does against this archetype otherwise. On a much smaller note, it allows a KO on Salamence before it can attack your partner with some combination of Sucker Punch, Ice Fang, or (If Kang is used) Fake Out. Since this is the most common archetype seen with Support Aerodactyl on it, I think Ice Fang should keep first unless the QC says otherwise.

As Far as Unnerve goes, it allows Kang to destroy Defensive Rotom-A with Fake Out + Return since the Sitrus Berry they carry is useless as long as Aero is on the field. Aerosharp can get past Rotom-A anyways with Rock Slide and Assurance (and Sharps Lum Berry will be burned against W) so it doesn't really apply here.

It has been awhile since my last post here, but I wanted to see how the bwebber / gamer boy arguement would unfold. I was about to stop it but Chenkovsky beat me to it.

Looking for input from the QC now: TheMantyke lucariojr Biosci R Inanimate Pwnemon Audiosurfer Laurel
please give this a look over when you have time

The special ladder is shutting down ;-; wth Nintendo
 
the overview should be simplified into something like:

  • Fast Rock Slider to check Talonflame and Charizard
  • Has amazing support moves like Sky Drop, Wide Guard and Tailwind
  • Can actually be relatively bulky with its Mega Evolution and the fact that it resists Normal moves
  • Poor defensive stats in its normal form and vulnerable to popular Electric-types, but mitigated by Focus Sash and it immunity to Sandstorm damage
  • Not particularly strong either with its most powerful attack being the unreliable Stone Edge
  • Faces competition from Talonflame in setting up Tailwind, though Brave Bird and Rock Slide hit two different sets of Pokemon
  • Overall, great source of speedy support

i think the first set should be something like:

Speedy Support
########
name: Speedy Support
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Tailwind / Wide Guard
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
ability: Unnerve / Pressure
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Attack / 252 Speed
nature: Jolly

bulky evs can go into the AC of the set if the user doesn't care for much attack, but i think in general with sash you shouldn't worry too much about bulk. more attack ensures that you check zard-y more efficiently, i.e. you don't miss out on an ohko after intimidate, and sky drop will do more damage to stuff like amoonguss and kang that can be checked more easily the more damage you can get off on them. ice fang hurts chomper, which is by far the biggest zard-y check in the meta, but that's kind of it so you can just stick that in AC as well. protect on aero isn't as important seeing how sky drop works, and wide guard is a pretty big selling point of aero in my opinion, so slash that with wide guard and mention other stuff like the aforementioned ice fang and taunt. keep sky drop as a main move because it's definitely one of aero's selling points, along with tailwind and wide guard. it's just so annoying to deal with when you basically have a free fake out that can hurt grass types SE and you can use anytime, along with the fact that it allows successful gang-ups (lifted opponents can't protect), it effectively blocks priority, allows time to set up with dragon dance, and the list goes on. in fact, it might be worth putting that over rock slide in the move order just because of how useful it is. granted, it's annoying to have to memorize what you can and can't pick up, but in general it's incredibly useful. also, in team options, mention tailoring a dragon dancer's EVs to hit 199 speed after a boost so aero drops the mon first and your DD-er can immediately smack it with whatever.

@ the abilities... pressure is actually pretty useful against salamence to figure out what set it's running first turn because more mences are forgoing scarf nowadays and unnerve is weird when abilities announce themselves, although unnerve is definitely the more consistent choice to block out sitrus recovery and sometimes resist berries. pressure might be more worthwhile when using megazard y to determine how quickly you'll be able to sky drop mence, which uses stone edge instead of rock slide to hit zards.

the mega set should probably be the bulky one to be used with hippowdon or other sand support because mega aero is def. not strong enough to warrant using it as the main powerhouse of your team. maybe if it got cool stuff like a strong flying contact move that isn't wing attack, but otherwise you could just use rock slide with regular aero or garchomp if you wanted a fast rock slider.

Mega Aerodactyl
########
name: Mega Aerodactyl
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Roost
move 4: Protect
ability: Pressure
item: Aerodactylite
evs: 220 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SDef / 228 Spd
nature: Jolly

set taken from this team report. basically, the set aims to stick around for a while and provide dedicated sky drop support for the rest of the team. eyeballing that team report should give you an idea of what this aerodactyl supports (mainly the hydreigon in my opinion). pressure should probably be used here over unnerve because the whole figuring out what mence is running deal is much more important than unnerving the opponent before mega evolving and removing that small advantage the first turn aero does something.

in oo, remove pressure and fire blast (what). add iron head (for fairies), fire fang (for whatever you wanted to hit with fire blast), smack down (with a garchomp/other eq-er partner), and rock tomb. rock tomb is pretty niche, but it saves moveslots on the first set, allowing you to run something like rock tomb/sky drop/wide guard/protect, basically incorporating sky drop support, speed control, wide guard, protect, and a (relatively) strong rock move all into one set.

e: haven't looked at other peoples comments yet but yeah
 

Inspirited

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sorry this took so long, I got slammed with other things all of a sudden but I finally got it all I think

Lots of good things about Aerodactyl
I implemented most of this and I'm glad you found that team report. I can say that I haven't used Mega Aero at all but I have used its supportive cousin liberally in 2012 and in 2014 which is why I felt comfortable doing this.
[...]in oo, remove pressure and fire blast (what).[...]
Fire Blast is something I ran in 2012 because it does much more damage (even with a hindering nature) to Ferrothorn than Fire Fang and you didn't have to break your Sash on Iron Barbs in fear of getting KOed by Ferro's attack on the same turn. This worked because of how sav happy we were since we could put 31 IVs in everything and we wouldn't have to worry about PP maxes. It still does more damage to Ferro and can 2HKO Ray's Ferro spread more consistently if you have 10 SpA IVs or more but this but is really only worth it if you have around 20 SpA IVs or more although saving your sash is nice. Ferro, Mawile, Abomasnow are really the only targets of Fire Blast / Fang since both of them do jack all to Amoongus and Aegislash. Fang does more to Mawile (if SpA IVs are not perfect; they do the same amount otherwise), Blast has a much higher chance of 2HKOing Ferro so perhaps having both deserve a spot in OO just because of how big of a defensive threat Ferro is. Blast will definitely be last on the list
 
id suggest taking another pass over the analysis to weed out any inconsistencies such as:

Keep Mega Aerodactyl away from Mega Manectric in particular, since they are known for running Timid natures which outspeed Adamant Mega Aerodactyl by a slim margin

other than that this looks good to me; QC 1/2
 

fleurdyleurse

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#procrastination
Overview
########
Aerodactyl has always served a considerable role in all VGC formats thius far by being the fastest support Pokemon around. This has not changed in VGC 2014 where it continues to pull off its old Tailwind and Rock Slide shenanigans, butthough Aerodactyl has found new ways to support its team as well. Sky Drop is a tool that has been unbanned in VGC 2014 and is one of the best support moves around. Aerodactyl just happens to be one of the best users of the move also. While not it's new, Wide Guard also received a buff to where it can be repeatedly used without fail which is fantastic, considering Aerodactyl itself is weak to Rock Slide itself. Its old moves have also gotten considerably better. Rock Slide now has two very dangerous targets that it can OHKO in Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y, so fast flinching potential is not the only thing these stones arRock Slide can be used for anymore. Lastly, Aerodactyl received a Mega Evolution in VGC 2014 that has much more bulk and power than base Aerodactyl while also having its already amazing Speed stat improved upon. However, Aerodactyl does not live in a perfect world though. Its old conproblem of being weak to common Electric-types still plagueremains it even though the Electric-types in the 2014 format are considerably different from 2012. Aerodactyl has sub-par defenses in general, meaning it is heavily reliant on a Focus Sash, or its Aerodactylite. Talonflame and Noivern have also come along to challenge Aerodactyl's niche as a Tailwind user, although all three of them have other roles that keep them separate from each other. Overall, Aerodactyl is still a fantastic source of speedy support and should never be underestimated when faced.

Speedy Support
########
name: Speedy Support
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Tailwind / Wide Guard
move 4: Protect / Wide Guard
ability: Unnerve / Pressure
item: Focus Sash
evs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
nature: Jolly

Moves
========
Rock Slide and Sky Drop are probably Aerodactyl's two best options for just about any support set it can run. Aerodactyl's absolutextremely killerhigh Speed stat means that Rock Slide will usually go before your opponents two Pokemon, making full use of Rock Slide's nasty flinch chance. Flinch fishing is a sport Aerodactyl commonly takes part in. Rock Slide also allows Aerodactyl to check Talonflame, Mega Charizard Y, and other weakened Pokemon that have a weakness to it. Sky Drop is an extremely irritating STAB move that gives Aerodactyl's partner a free one on one turn matchup one of your opponent's Pokemon for a turn. Tailwind is one of the best Speed control moves in the game and is the heart and soul of some team builds. Aerodactyl is a very reliable setter of the move dothanks to its already ridiculous Speed and its Focus Sash. The Speed increase Aerodactyl receives from Tailwind also makes Rock Slide flinch fishing all the more potent. Protect is to block the ever so annoying Fake Out that flies ever so freely in VGC 2014 so that Aerodactyl's Focus Sash is not broken before it can even move. Protecting Aerodactyl for a turn is also very useful a lomost of the time. Wide Guard is a supportive protecting move that keeps Aerodactyl and its teammate safe from the likes of Rock Slide, Surf, Earthquake, and many other spread moves that are constantly being launched in VGC 2014. Taunt makes Pokemon like Smeargle and Amoonguss next to useless and stops Trick Room setters from ruining Aerodactyl's potential Tailwind. Ice Fang is a neat coverage move to punish Salamence and Garchomp leads while also bringing Noivern down to its Focus Sash. Note that your own Focus Sash will more than likely be broken if you use Ice Fang on Garchomp.

Set Details
========
The EVs are very straightforward in that they allow Aerodactyl to Speed tie with other Aerodactyl and Mega Gengar while also outspeeding everything below Base 130, besides users of Choice Scarvef users. The Attack investment is to make sure Aerodactyl is hitting as hard as possible without a benefittingpositive nature. Unnerve is a useful supporting ability that stops the use of ever so common berries such as Sitrus and Lum Berries. However, Unnerve has priority when announcing itself though. If you would rather scout for a Choice Scarf on Salamence or Gardevoir, then Pressure is preferred. A bulkier spread of 252 HP / 44 Atk / 212 Spe can be used if you wish to use your Focus Sash elsewhere on your team, but the Focus Sash variant is generally preferred.

Usage Tips
========
When against Fake Out users, the safest play on the first turn 1 is to protect Aerodactyl and its partner if either of them are carrying it. This ensures your Focus Sash will remain intact for the turn you Tailwind, Sky Drop, or Rock Slide. KnowNote that Aerodactyl is hardly ever dead weight due to its pass timehabit of fishing for flinches with Rock Slide and the support Sky Drop provides. Knowing this, don't treat Aerodactyl as if it were death fodder if you don't need to. Use Sky Drop to give Aerodactyl's partner a free turn of 1 on 1 with an opponent that cannot do too much to saidits partner. This is extremely useful for set up sweepers since it removes the threat of a double target for a turn. Please takIt should be noted that that Aerodactyl cannot pick uuse Sky Drop on Pokemon weighing over 200 kg. Gyarados and Rhyperior are Pokemon that come to mind in this weight bracket, although Aerodactyl should not stay in on Rhyperior and using Rock Slide on Gyarados is generally more beneficial in the first place. Sky Drop can also end Aerodactyl since it cannot pProtect when dropping the opponent, so use the move wisely. Tailwind should be used only when needed since it only lasts three turns after it is set up. With that said, Aerodactyl should be saved until it is needed to set up Tailwind, asince the move allows many slower attackers to easily get the upper hand on their normally faster checks. If Aerodactyl is up against Trick Room without Taunt, it is generally in your best interest to leave Aerodactyl behind for the match due to Aerodactyl's naturally high Speed and Trick Room making Tailwind a monstrous backfire if used. If you do have Taunt though, feel free to Taunt any Trick Room setter that isn't an Aromatisse, aso long as there are no Fake Out users along side saidthe Trick Room user.

Team Options
========
Any slow attacker is a good partner for Aerodactyl really duethanks to its ability to use Tailwind, put an opponent out of play for a turn, and they occasional Rock Slide flinch that could allow said attackits partner to live another turn. Bisharp and Kangaskhan are two perfect examples of beneficiaries from Aerodactyl's support abilities. Bisharp not only benefits greatly from the Tailwind Aerodactyl can provides, but Assurance also turns into a 120 Base Power STAB move when an opponent is hit by Aerodactyl's Rock Slide first. Mega Kangaskhan isn't exactly slow, but sheit still greatly benefits from Tailwind, while sheit also enjoys the turn to Power-Up Punch while not fearing a double target due to Sky Drop. In a similar vein, Sky Drop can give Pokemon like Mega Charizard X, Gyarados and its respective Mega Evolution, Dragon Dance Scrafty, and Dragon Dance Mega Tyranitar a much needed opportunity to set up. If EVed correctly, these Pokemon can KO their respective checks after setting up the same turn as Aerodactyl drops said check. Beneficiaries from Wide Guard include Mega Charizard Y and Aegislash as both of them are commonly targeted by spread moves. Both of them greatly appreciatinge Tailwind support.

Mega Aerodactyl
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name: Mega Aerodactyl
move 1: Rock Slide
move 2: Sky Drop
move 3: Roost
move 4: Protect
ability: Pressure
item: Aerodactylite
evs: 220 HP / 52 Atk / 4 Def / 4 SDef / 228 Spd
nature: Jolly

Moves
========
Mega Aerodactyl is the fastest unboosted user of Rock Slide in VGC 2014, which means just about anything your opponent can have will risk getting flinched shouldif Mega Aerodactyl uses Rock Slide. Rock Slide also has a STABreceives a boost from STAB and is coming off of Mega Aerodactyl's base 135 Attack stat so, the damage output is not bad at all, even with minimal Attack investment. STAB-boosted Rock Slide also makes Mega Aerodactyl Talonflame and Mega Charizard Y's worst nightmare asince it resists Gale Wings Brave Bird from Talonflame, outpaces both of them, and can OHKOes both of them with a single hit, not to mention their partner will more than likely run the risk of flinching. Mega Aerodactyl's Speed and Tough Claws -boosted Sky Drop make it a terror to face when paired with a set up sweeper or a powerful Pokemon that needs an opponent put out of play for a turn. Not only this, butAlso, it also eases prediction when targeting the Pokemon that Mega Aerodactyl has picked up since it cannot Protect on the turn it falls. Similarly, Mega Aerodactyl cannot use Protect when droppusing theSky Drop on opponent either and, unlike its supportive cousin, does not have a Focus Sash to save it from a potential KO on its way down. Use Sky Drop conservatively. Roost is used to boost Mega Aerodactyl's longevity so it can keep flinch fishing with Rock Slide or supporting its teammates with Sky Drop and make Mega Aerodactyl a much larger pain to face in general. Protect is to give Mega Aerodactyl's partner a turn to KO or cripple Mega Aerodactyl's check / counter as well as having use in to many situations to mention. Taunt can be used to help Mega Aerodactyl against Smeargle and Amoonguss, as well as making them more or less useless. Tailwind is an epfantastic Speed control move that a good amount of builds are based around. although Mega Aerodactyl generally isn't on Tailwind teams, it can still use the move and should never be completely out of question when choosing a Tailwind user. Wide Guard can save many of Mega Aerodactyl's teammates from the multitude of spread moves that are thrown around.

Set Details
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The EVs are rather specific in that they allow Mega Aerodactyl to sponge a Choice Specs Thunderbolt from Rotom-A formes while in Sandstorm. It is also able to survive a critical hit Stone Edge from a Salamence with a hindering Attack nature. The Speed investment is there to outrun Talonflame before Mega Evolving and to outrun base 80 Speed Pokemon with a Choice Scarf, namely Rotom-A and Gardevoir, after. Unnerve has elevated priority when announcing itself, so Pressure is used instead to scout for Choice Scarf Gardevoir and Salamence before Aerodactyl Mega Evolves. Unnerve is also useless since it will become Tough Claws after Aerodactyl Mega Evolves.

Usage Tips
========
Mega Aerodactyl has much more potential staying power than its base Aerodactylforme, so make use of this staying power by using Roost and Protect at the correct times. Make sure that Mega Aerodactyl is in a Sandstorm when it is out, asince the Special Defense boost from Sandstorm is extremely noticeable and will end up saving Mega Aerodactyl a lot of the time. When using Sky Drop, be sure to have planned out how you are going to keep Mega Aerodactyl safe when it drops the opponent since it predictably cannot protect this turn. Similarly, use the turn that an opponent is dropped to your advantage since the opponent cannot Protect that turn either, leaving them open to a potential KO. This can also save Mega Aerodactyl if the opponent in question had the ability to KO it. Burns take a good chunk out of Mega Aerodactyl's survivability, especially when using Sky Drop, while also weakening it its two attacking moves. Keeping burns away from Mega Aerodactyl is pretty important, especially in a format saturated with Will-O-Wisp users. Whenever Mega Aerodactyl has done its job and is left with nothing to do, it can always fish for Rock Slide flinches.

Team Options
========
Sand Stream is always needed when using Mega Aerodactyl in order to ensure that it gets the most out of its bulk investment. This makes Hippowdon and Tyranitar very good partners despite the weaknesses both of them share with Mega Aerodactyl. However, Amoonguss and Ferrothorn can help cover these weaknesses while also dealing with Mega Aerodactyl's biggest counter: Rotom-W. Pokemon that require set-up and powerful attackers enjoy Mega Aerodactyl's consistent Sky Drop support and the occasional flinch from Rock Slide. Hydreigon, Aegislash, Gyarados, Scrafty, Bisharp and many more fall under this catagory.

Other Options
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Stone Edge is Aerodactyl's strongest STAB Rock-type move but its poor accuracy and Rock Slide's flinch chance /and spread effect make Stone Edge a rather poor option in comparison. Iron Head can be used on Mega Aerodactyl to KO Choice Scarf Gardevoir, but Mega Aerodactyl does not have the move slots for a luxury coverage move like this. Smack Down is an interesting STAB option for any Aerodactyl that can be used on a team based around heavy usage of Earthquake, but Rock Slide is preferred on most team builds. Rock Tomb is a spread STAB move with a guaranteed Speed lowering effect and can be used for limited Speed control. It is weak when compared to Rock Slide, though, and Aerodactyl already has a much more reliable Speed control method in Tailwind. Fire Fang is a usable fFire-type move to hit Mawile and Aegislash to an extent. Be careful when using it against Ferrothorn because Aerodactyl will break its Focus Sash on Iron Barbs and could be KOed in the same turn if Ferrothorn goes for Gyro Ball. Fire Blast is also an option because of this. With good Special aAttack IVs and a Special Attack hindering nature, Fire Blast does slightly more damage than Fire Fang will depending on the Pokemon targeted. It will also save Aerodactyl's Focus Sash should it attack Ferrothorn, allowing it to live the possible incoming Gyro Ball after. Both Fire-type moves are very difficult to fit on a set since there is hardly any room luxury coverage moves like them on either Aerodactyl set.

Checks &amp; Counters
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**Electric-types**: Mega Manectric can outrun Aerodactyl and either bring it down to its Focus Sash, or KO it, should it have taken prior damage. Mega Aerodactyl can outspeed Mega Manectric and can use Sky Drop on it to stall a turn although it will get hit hard by Manectric on its way down. Mega Manectric also Intimidates Aerodactyl, making Rock Slide and Sky Drop less potentwerful. All formes of bulky Rotom-A can all take a hit from any Aerodactyl and either bring it down to its Focus Sash to set up a KO, KO it if it has taken prior damage, or cripple Mega Aerodactyl with Will-O-Wisp. However, Rotom-H and Rotom-S lose if they flinch from Rock Slide though. Choice Scarf Rortom-A variants don't need to worry about Rock Slide's flinch chance from base Aerodactyl because they can outspeed it and they will still bring it down to its Focus Sash /or KO it.

**Steel-types**: Mawile not only Intimidates Aerodactyl but it can also KO /it or bring it down to its Focus Sash after it Mega Evolves with Iron Head. It can also bypass Rock Slide's flinch chance by usingwith Sucker Punch. Mega Mawile can easily set up a Substitute or Swords Dance on any Aerodactyl lacking Taunt or the rare Fire-type attack. Aegislash can easily set up a Substitute in front of any Aerodactyl lacking Taunt and can KO / bring it down to its Focus Sash with Flash Cannon. Aerodactyl's Fire-type attacks do next to nothing to Aegislash. Ferrothorn can KO Aerodactyl much like the other two but it needs to watch out for extremely uncommon Fire Blast.

**Swift Swim users in rain**: Every single user of Swift Swim can KO Aerodactyl with their STAB attacks while outrunning it under rain.

**Mamoswine**: Mamoswine ignores Focus Sash by KOing Aerodactyl with Icicle Spear. It can also bypass Rock Slide's flinch chance with the priority Ice Shard.

**Sableye**: Sableye bypasses Rock Slide's flinch chance with its ability Prankster giving +1 priority to all of its non-attacking moves. It can shut down Aerodactyl's ability to Protect and set up Tailwind with priority Taunt and can also burn Aerodactyl with Will-O-Wisp.

**Rhyperior**: Rhyperior can KO Aerodactyl regardless of its Focus Sash with Rock Blast. It is immune to Sky Drop and its high dDefense, coupled with its resistance to Rock Slide, means Aerodactyl can literally do nothing to it.

**Gyarados**: Gyarados can Thunder Wave both Aerodactyl and its partner, making Tailwind effectively useless and almost ensuring Aerodactyl can never set it up again. It Intimidates Aerodactyl and also KOes /or brings it down to its Focus Sash with Waterfall. Gyarados does have a weakness to Rock Slide though, so it will lose if it flinches too many times.

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